On June 1,1981, Garry Templeton's bat led the way in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos at Busch. Batting in the two-hole, the 25-year-old shortstop went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. Just one day earlier Templeton had asked to be traded. He had been struggling at the dish a bit, so Cards skipper Whitey Herzog moved him out if his usual leadoff spot, and was shuffling the deck a bit trying to get him to work through his struggles. Templeton objected to the move, and he let reporters know it. However, he denied that it was the reason he requested the trade. The reason that was given was he wanted to be closer to his family on the West Coast. He even suggested that the club swap him to San Diego for a 26-year-old shortstop in San Diego by the name of Ozzie Smith. When the Whitey Herzog heard that Templeton was talking trade, he said "It'll be a cold summer day in St. Louis before he even thinks about trading his .307 lifetime hitter." While the White Rat thought that at the time, things changed in August of that year when Templeton flipped off the cowd at Busch. It was the beginning of the end for the man who had represented the Cardinals during two All Star games. In December of that same year, Templeton's suggestion to trade him for the shortstop that was playing in San Diego became a reality, and as they say... The rest is history.Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198106010.shtml
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